Contact, physical athleticism, strategy and a definite winner are characteristics of popular sports in America. Although baseball and softball may not be considered contact sports, their athletes still run the risk of collision and injury each time they step on the field, which makes both sports more watchable. That very reason plays a role in why football is as popular as it is in America and why hockey is gaining a nationwide following - fans enjoy the brutality of both sports because such actions are only acceptable on the field or in the rink. Due to the importance of sport(s) in America, the time, money and research put into sport related fields is ever increasing, which demands athletes and staff to develop new strategies in order to have a shot at winning more often. Those new strategies cause sport(s) to change and because of this, fans are drawn to watch intently or risk missing something that has never been done.
As mentioned, it is of critical importance in American sport(s) to win and for that reason, no sport ends in a tie (at least in top tier competitions). This differs from much of the world and becomes apparent every four years during the World Cup of Soccer when you hear Americans complaining about how "pointless" or "dumb" it is that a soccer match can end in a draw. Due to this obsession with winning, premiere athletes who contribute to a team's success are paid lucrative amounts of money. Successful athletes differ by sport, but generally are associated with his/her physical talent, mental stability and prowess, passion, and dedication.
It is because of these attitudes, imposed by the American public, that an idea known as the sport ethic has come about. The sport ethic is what is more popularly known as the definition of a "real athlete" and it is based upon a list of values, including those discussed above. The four dimensions of this concept include: 1) Making sacrifices for "The Game", 2) Striving for distinction amongst other athletes, 3) Accepting risks and playing through pain, and 4) Refusing to accept limits. Athletes conform to this set of beliefs because those four dimensions offer a greater shot at success and such beliefs are imposed upon athletes from a young age. In extreme cases, athletes may over-conform to those dimensions due to low self-esteem or the opportunity for material success (Hughes & Coakley, 1991, p. 309-310). Personally, and as a bystander, I have experienced each of those four dimensions of the sport ethic. I started playing competitive softball at age 10 and have continued to do so for the past 10 years, despite sacrificing the majority of weeknights and weekends for practice and games. I have also been called a perfectionist after refusing to come off the field until I feel comfortable fielding a particular ground ball because I hate the thought of another shortstop doing better than me. On a daily basis I accept the risk of injury and play through pain, despite being on the wrong end of a collision that found me on a surgeon's table with a dislocated shoulder, torn labrum and capsule, because being on the field is worth it, without a doubt. Finally, I often watch baseball highlights with the intent of replicating them to my best ability because those athletes do what is unthinkable in softball.
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Reference List
Daltry, R. (2012). The Impact of Gender Role Conflict on the Quality of Life in Female Athletes. International Journal Of Sport & Society, 3(2), 49-65.
Hughes, Robert, and Jay Coakley. (1991). Positive Deviance Among Athletes: The Implications of Overconformity to the Sport Ethic. Sociology of Sport Journal, 8, 307-12.
